What is Agentic Workflow?

What Is an Agentic Workflow?

An Agentic Workflow is a process where AI agents handle an entire sequence of tasks from start to finish, making decisions and adapting their approach at each step. Unlike traditional automation, which follows rigid if-then rules, an agentic workflow allows the AI to plan its approach, choose the right tools, handle unexpected situations, and adjust its strategy based on intermediate results.

Think of the difference this way: traditional automation is like a conveyor belt that moves items along a fixed path. An agentic workflow is more like an experienced employee who receives an objective, figures out the best way to accomplish it, and adapts when things do not go as expected.

How Agentic Workflows Differ from Traditional Automation

Traditional workflow automation — such as robotic process automation (RPA) or business process management (BPM) — follows predetermined steps defined by a developer. If the process encounters a situation that was not anticipated, it typically fails or escalates to a human.

Agentic workflows differ in several important ways:

• Dynamic planning — The agent determines the steps needed based on the specific situation rather than following a fixed sequence
• Adaptive execution — If a step fails or produces unexpected results, the agent can try alternative approaches
• Contextual decision-making — The agent considers the full context of the task, not just the current step
• Tool selection — The agent chooses which tools, APIs, or data sources to use at each stage
• Self-correction — The agent evaluates its own output and refines it before moving forward

Components of an Agentic Workflow

A well-designed agentic workflow typically includes these elements:

Goal Definition

Every agentic workflow starts with a clearly defined objective. This might be "process this customer refund request" or "generate a quarterly market analysis report." The more specific the goal, the more effectively the agent can plan its approach.

Planning Phase

The agent breaks the goal into sub-tasks and determines the optimal sequence. For example, to process a refund, the agent might plan: verify purchase history, check refund policy, calculate refund amount, process payment, notify customer.

Execution Phase

The agent works through each sub-task, using available tools and data sources. At each step, it evaluates the results and decides whether to proceed, retry, or adjust the plan.

Validation and Output

Before delivering the final result, the agent reviews its work against the original objective. This might include fact-checking, formatting, or running quality checks.

Agentic Workflows in Southeast Asian Business Operations

For companies operating across ASEAN markets, agentic workflows are particularly valuable because of the complexity inherent in multi-market operations:

• Cross-border compliance — An agentic workflow can navigate different regulatory requirements across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and other markets, adapting its approach based on jurisdiction
• Multilingual document processing — Agents can process invoices, contracts, and correspondence in multiple languages, routing and translating as needed
• Vendor management — In supply chains spanning multiple ASEAN countries, agentic workflows can handle procurement, quality checks, and payment processing with market-specific adaptations
• Customer onboarding — Different markets may require different KYC processes, documentation, and approvals — an agentic workflow can handle these variations dynamically

Real-World Use Cases

Agentic workflows are being applied across industries:

• Finance — Loan processing workflows that gather applicant data, verify documents, run credit checks, assess risk, and generate approval recommendations
• HR — Employee onboarding workflows that create accounts, assign training, schedule orientations, and configure benefits based on role and location
• Marketing — Campaign workflows that research target audiences, generate content, select channels, schedule posts, and analyze performance
• Legal — Contract review workflows that extract key terms, flag risks, compare against templates, and prepare summaries for human review

Building Effective Agentic Workflows

To implement agentic workflows successfully:

1. Map your current process — Document how the task is performed today, including decision points and exceptions
2. Define clear success criteria — Specify what a successful outcome looks like
3. Identify the tools needed — List the systems, databases, and APIs the agent will need access to
4. Set guardrails — Define boundaries for agent decision-making and specify when human intervention is required
5. Start simple — Begin with straightforward workflows and add complexity as you build confidence

Key Takeaways for Decision-Makers

• Agentic workflows go beyond simple automation by enabling AI to plan, adapt, and make decisions throughout a process
• They are particularly valuable for complex, multi-step processes that currently require significant human judgment
• The most successful implementations start with well-understood processes where the costs of manual execution are high
• Southeast Asian businesses can leverage agentic workflows to manage the complexity of operating across multiple diverse markets